# Dino Strata — Idle dinosaur fossil dig

> Idle excavation game to dig fossils through geological time. (iPhone/iPad app by Yuya Tanaka.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dino-strata/id6793989713 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Yuya Tanaka](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895106450)
- Category: Games, Casual, Simulation
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 32 MB
- Languages: American English, Japanese
- Released: 2026-08-02
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dino-strata/id6793989713/reviews.md

## What is Dino Strata?

Tap the rock face, crack the strata, and lift a real fossil into the light.

Dino Strata is an idle excavation game about digging down through geological time. Your strikes break the layer in front of you; the dig team you hire keeps working while you are away. Every fossil you unearth is a real prehistoric animal, painted in watercolour and filed in a fossil log with its scientific name, period and locality.

■ Dig, hire, descend
Break a layer, earn Excavation Points, and spend them on your pick and on a dig team of 33 specialists who excavate on their own. When a run has gone as deep as it can, descend through time: the run resets, but the Specimen Value you have appraised makes every future dig permanently faster. Deeper always means older.

■ 100 real prehistoric species
Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, Anomalocaris, the woolly mammoth, and 96 more. Every entry carries its scientific name, period, age in millions of years, locality, approximate length, and a note on how firm the restoration actually is.

■ A fossil log across nine eras
The log is a grid of nine geological bands, from the Early Paleozoic to the Quaternary. Undiscovered species stay in silhouette; the deeper you dig, the older the band you open. Rarity runs Common, Rare, Super Rare, Ultra Rare - and the rarer the find, the longer the reveal lingers.

■ Idle that actually idles
This is the part most tap-and-dig games leave hollow. Your team keeps clearing layers while the app is closed, up to 8 hours, and the reward waiting for you is unconditional, immediate, and yours without watching anything. An ad only doubles it. It is never required.

■ Ads are optional, always
Rewarded video only. No banners, no forced interstitials, nothing that interrupts a dig. The reward is a fixed amount and is granted only when the video finishes. Everything in the game can be reached without watching a single one.

■ No gacha. No loot boxes. No subscription.
Excavation Points cannot be bought. The fossils you unearth are random, but the points that pay for the dig come only from playing and from optional ads, so there is no path from real money to a random result. Nothing with a randomised outcome is ever sold.

■ Premium (one-time)
One non-consumable purchase: it removes ads, extends offline progress from 8 hours to 24, and adds auto-dig so your hand can rest. That is all it does, and it is permanent. Restore Purchases is supported. Nothing is ever put back behind a second paywall.

■ Built to be kept
Progress is saved on device and can be backed up to and restored from iCloud, because losing an idle save is unforgivable. Reduce Motion, Dynamic Type, numbers written to be read aloud, rarity shown by frame shape and star count rather than colour alone, and a layout you can reach one-handed.

■ Honest notes
- The fossil restorations are illustrations made with generative AI. They are original watercolour art, not photographs, and not to scale.
- Every species is real. Scientific names, periods and localities come from the Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0); body length and diet are editorial estimates and are marked as such in the app.
- Restorations are interpretations. Where the science has not settled, the entry says so.

The Paleobiology Database attribution (CC BY 4.0) is shown in Settings > About and on every fossil entry.

## Key features

- Idle excavation gameplay
- Hire a dig team
- Discover 100 real prehistoric species
- Fossil log across nine eras
- Optional rewarded ads
- One-time premium purchase

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (One-Time) | $5.99 | one-time |



## Frequently asked questions about Dino Strata

### What is Dino Strata?

Dino Strata is an idle excavation game where you tap to break rock layers and unearth real prehistoric fossils. You can hire a dig team to continue excavating while you are offline.

### How does the idle mechanic work in Dino Strata?

Your hired dig team continues to excavate layers for up to 8 hours while the app is closed. This progress is unconditional and yours without watching ads, though an ad can double the reward.

### Are the fossils in Dino Strata real?

Yes, the game features 100 real prehistoric species, each logged with its scientific name, period, age, locality, and approximate length. The restorations are original watercolour art.

### Can I buy fossils or progress in Dino Strata?

No, Dino Strata does not feature gacha, loot boxes, or subscriptions. Excavation Points are earned through gameplay and optional ads, and nothing with a randomized outcome is sold.

### Does Dino Strata have ads?

Yes, Dino Strata contains advertisements, but they are optional rewarded videos only. There are no banners or forced interstitials, and everything in the game can be accessed without watching ads.

### What does the premium purchase in Dino Strata offer?

The one-time premium purchase removes all ads, extends offline progress from 8 to 24 hours, and adds an auto-dig feature. This purchase is permanent and non-consumable.

### What devices does Dino Strata support?

Based on the provided data, Dino Strata currently supports iPhone devices. Progress can be backed up and restored via iCloud.

### How often is Dino Strata updated?

Dino Strata was last updated on August 9, 2026, with version 1.1.1. This indicates a recent update, suggesting ongoing development and support.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.1.1 — 2026-08-09

You can now see the damage your team deals to the rock even while you are not tapping. The durability gauge also shows the remaining numbers next to the bar, so you can tell that you are making progress in deep strata where the bar barely moves.

The Pick Upgrade button now keeps showing what it costs even when you cannot afford it yet, and tells you why when you tap it. When you double a while-you-were-away reward with an ad, the extra points now show up right away.

Fixed the durability gauge running off the right edge of the screen, the rock outline being clipped, and team members from the previous run staying on the dig site after you descend through time.

### 1.1.0 — 2026-08-04

Excavation has been rebuilt. Rock now cracks, breaks apart and scatters as you dig, and fossils emerge from the earth. Your crew members swing their picks as they work.

Bonus rewards from watching an ad are now capped at 10 per day across the whole game, and the screen shows how many remain before you tap.

Dino Strata also lets you know on the dig screen when a new version is available.

### 1.0 — 2026-08-02

No release notes.

## More apps by Yuya Tanaka

- [Dovio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dovio/id6762978468)
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- [Shiodoki: Japan Tide Charts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shiodoki-japan-tide-charts/id6789547788)
- [Dencho: Tape Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dencho-tape-calculator/id6789548710)
- [TenthFrame: Bowling Scores](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tenthframe-bowling-scores/id6789774323)

All apps by Yuya Tanaka: https://appshunter.io/developer/1895106450

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*